Lost, but not forgotten
by Neophix
Summary: A young man's life is ended before it could ever really begin, how will he fare in Soul Society? And what of the people he has left behind? Rated for Violence, swears, contains OCs.
1. Ketsuraku

This is only the beginning of a big thing, but feel free to review and criticize this small part.

* * *

Ketsuraku Sai got up. It was Friday, after school, the thirteenth of February, the year 2009. Tomorrow was the day he'd give the gift he'd been saving for the girl of his dreams, now if only he could muster the courage.

It was funny, actually, here was a guy who could stand twenty-two feet in the air, supported only by a couple of twigs attached to a tree, without even blinking, and he was nervous about simply giving a gift to a girl. Weird world we live in, eh?

He got up and stood, put his favorite jacket on, slipped the sacred present into his pocket, and went off for a walk. He made a brief stop at the park to look at the swings that he could've been on with _her_ last summer. Sighing, he walked on, lost in his own thoughts.

Unfortunately enough, the neighborhood gang, composed of the stereotypical dark skinned troublemakers, had been drugging themselves up that night. They were driving around the area in their truck, with half the gang sitting in the back, swerving and bumping into things and causing general mayhem.

Poor Sai, he wasn't even aware of the danger when he died.


	2. Zetsumei

"Who are you?"

"I'm the Shinigami on patrol around here, and you, my friend, are dead."

"…"

"It's my job to take souls like you away, to a better place."

"Okay…but first…let me do something. I need it off my chest before I move on."

"If it suits you."

* * *

Amanda Amore, then sixteen, woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. "Funny, I don't remember setting the clock…'specially on a Saturday…" She glanced down, "Eh?"

There was a letter sitting in front of her clock. She picked it up and read:

Amanda,

By the time you read this, I will already have been long gone. I have to tell you, I love you. Since we were kids; I always needed to be around you, cooties or not, it didn't feel right any other way.

No, this is not the "I love you like a little sister" deal, it goes beyond that, but alas, I can do no more. Sorry for leaving, it's been great, and thanks, for everything.

There was no signature, only the mark of a miniaturized trident, with much of the pole missing. Amanda remembered this; Sai used it all the time! _What could he have meant, when he said "Sorry for leaving"?_ _Hm?_

There was one last envelope, beneath the first one. Amanda picked it up- it was heavier, too. Inside were a newspaper clipping and a golden and ivory pendant, half a yin-yang, a demon's wing off to the left, the same colors. She looked at the headline and gasped, her tears falling on the gift that Sai had left behind. There was a note attached to it, as well: _Don't worry, I've got the other half. We'll always remember each other, right? Anyway, Happy Valentine's_.

* * *

Sai sighed and braced himself, "Okay, I'm ready."

The shinigami raised his zampakuto, "I have to say, I admire you." He said before performing the Konso, "Most people let themselves be turned into hollows over regret like this."

"Don't think it's easy for me. I've gotta let go of everything I knew and loved."

"I know."

Sai took one last look at Amanda before he fell through, it killed him inside to see her cry like that, but it was the only thing he could do, now. He gripped the silver and ebony pendant-the other half, with an angel's wing, feathers separated by lines of silver- in his right hand and promised to himself: _No matter what, never forget the times you had, good or bad, they're all special._

* * *

And don't think it was easy for me to write angst like that! Gah...I'm all depressed now...


	3. Soryuju

AARGH! Only 700 words!? It felt like it was a whole lot more!

Disclaimer: HOW THE HELL COULD I FORGET!?!? Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite

* * *

"Hey, are you ok?"

Sai opened his eyes, _too bright…_ He closed them again

"Hey! I'm talkin' ta _you_!"

Sai grunted and turned on his side, "Shut up, go away, leave me alone…"

"Fine, I guess ya don' want this fancy amulet after all!"

Sai's eyes snapped open, he turned to face the stranger.

The guy was about six feet tall, medium build, and had a whole bunch of scars criss-crossing his barely clothed chest. He also had a jagged line going across his cheek. His blonde hair was wildly spiked, and he gave the impression that he just was another punk from Kusajishi, but the way he held himself told you that he actually had respect. On the other hand, he _was_ dangling the black pendant in that _particular_ way that makes you think he's gonna run off with it.

"Hey! Give that back!"

The guy tossed the charm back, "Sheesh, ya don' have ta be so mean, I was gonna give it back to ya anyway. You new 'round here?"

Sai nodded, "Yeah, very…where am I anyway?"

The stranger waved his hand toward the surrounding buildings, "You, my friend, are dead. ("I knew that already!") And have been placed here, in district Seven of Rukongai: Soryuju. By the way, didja dye yer hair 'r somethin'?"

Sai blinked, "No…I don't think I did anyway…Are you pulling my leg?"

The blonde pulled out a mirror, "Ya might wanna have a look."

It was weird, looking at the new him; Sai's (originally short) spikes used to be dark brown, occasionally accented by a streak of hazel. Now there were black, and the highlights changed to pure white. That, and his formerly blue eyes were now a startlingly light shade of gray. Also, instead of defying gravity and spiking up like it usually did, his much longer hair fell down, a stray spike or two falling across his face or over his eyes, but he decided to ignore that.

"Well, now that we've established that, who're you? I'm Tamaki."

"No last name?"

"None that I can remember."

As it turned out, Tamaki was a former Samurai, who died in one of the feudal wars of Japan. When he saw that his appearance had changed, he decided that it was a time to change himself as well. He cast aside the code of the Bushido and adopted his own. The biggest thing on his list of Don'ts was to _never_ take advantage of anyone, for monetary gain or otherwise (which might've been in the Bushido Code anyway, but Tamaki said it was so long ago that he'd already forgotten). After hearing Ketsuraku's tale, he told the boy (compared to him anyway) that Soryuju existed to house the souls of those who had failed at their mission in life, but whose souls were ultimately good. He went on to explain that district One was where souls that had accomplished noble goals on the earth went to live alongside the nobles, district Two where those who had not lived to see those dreams accomplished, and so on. Tamaki decided to point out one last thing before they had to turn in:

"So what's with the necklace anyway? Where's the other half?"

Sai gazed into the stars, "I gave it to somebody else, she- that person is still in the living world."

"Ah…one of those friendship kinda things?"

"Sorta…how'd you know that? I thought you were a samurai."

"Yeah, but I met some chick 'bout a decade ago, had a bracelet like that or sumthin'…"


	4. Reiryoku

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite. Ketsuraku Sai, however, is my own

* * *

"So, what's yer zampakuto's name?"

Sai blinked, "What?"

It had been two weeks since Sai had arrived in Soul Society. He was living relatively well with Tamaki and his little family group, though the others seemed to fear him a little for his modern clothes (a black tee-shirt, his 'trademark' black and white jacket, and his jeans), which he had kept.

"Every Shinigami has a zampakuto, their special,_ unique_ weapon, you've got ta have one!" Tamaki shouted, waking up all the others.

"I don't understand, Tamaki."

"Look!" Tamaki pointed to the empty bowls in the corner, "Only a handful of people in district seven even _need_ ta eat! You've been eating like you were still alive for the entire time you were here! You MUST have spiritual power!"

"What!?" Sai was definitely confused, in all his time in Soryuju, Tamaki had never mentioned the possibility that _he_, Ketsuraku Sai, fairly ordinary teenager, was a Soul Reaper.

Tamaki grabbed Sai by the collar, "You're comin' with me, Soul Reaper!" Sai was dragged outside the house, the other inhabitants looking out cautiously.

Sai was tossed to the ground, "Agh! Watch it, Tamaki! Shinigami or not, I can still kick your ass!"

"I'd like ta see you try!"

Sai, being as decisive as he was, struck first: a left jump kick to the head, which Tamaki sidestepped. Sai landed on his left and swung around, bringing his right leg around with him a full 360 to kick Tamaki again. Tamaki grabbed the leg, but Sai brought his left in for a kick to the head from the other side. Tamaki leg go of Sai's leg and dodged. Sai landed on his hands and flipped, silently thanking his parents for letting him take those martial arts classes, even if his was kicked out for over-aggressiveness. Back on his feet, Sai decided to switch his strategy. He quickly released the tension in his muscles and hunched over, then ran forward, his arms swinging limply behind him.

"Playing drunk ain't gonna help, Shinigami!" Ah… so Tamaki knew about drunken boxing…then again, Sai preferred to call the style "Pendulum".

Sai's legs suddenly stopped, he lunged forward and his arms swung around, clockwise, Tamaki backstepped. Sai kept spinning the way he was and brought up his left leg, landing his first hit on Tamaki's side. With total disregard to safety, Sai brought up his right leg as well, letting it swing around and hit Tamaki, his other leg landing daintily on the ground. Even though he had practiced this maneuver, he still wasn't able to see what his leg had hit behind him, though he assumed it was Tamaki's arm, raised in defence.

Sai swung around, a dizzy grin on his face, to get a look at his opponent, _Man…_ he thought, _why does fighting like this always do this to me?_

Tamaki was leaning back, albeit slightly, Sai _had_ hit him, but Tamaki swung forward, bringing his fist down in a powerful blow to Sai's exposed face. His conscious was slipping, everything was turning black.

_A dirty trick like that…? You fight like the ones who took my life, Tamaki._

_Yes, but he has his honor_.

_What!?_ Sai's eyes widened before the concussion fully knocked him out, _Who said that!?_

_All in due time, Ketsuraku Sai._

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was that black and silver amulet, swinging right in front of his eyes.

* * *

Yes, drunken boxing. I figured out the style myself! And no booze!

I'd appreciate reviews, though I know I'm probably not gonna get any ^^


	5. Anaru

Bleach and concepts of Soul Society belong to Tite Kubo, Ketsuraku Sai and other aspects of this story, however, belong to me.

* * *

"Where…Where am I?"

Sai blinked and looked around, everything was black, with only the faintest trace of light in the distance to show the way.

"Am I…dead…? Did I…die? But that's impossible…I'm already dead…"

_Not dead, merely unconscious._

"What the!?" Sai stood, only to realize that there was no floor, "NO!!!"

Sai felt his head pitch forward, but still couldn't see a thing. He swung his arms, desperately trying to slow his fall. _No…I don't want to die! I won't cease to exist!_

_You don't have to._

"That voice again!"

Sai's hand was suddenly grabbed. By what, he didn't know, but he was thankful that he wouldn't fall. He turned around to look at his savior, but couldn't see anything in the incredible dark. "Who are you?" he felt himself ask, but in this strange realm thoughts equaled words and vice-versa. "How can you see here? How did I get here? How did-**When** did-"

_Enough. You speak too much of Whats,Whens and Hows. You haven't taken the time to consider the Whos or the Whys. You're like all the others. Sometimes I wonder why I even tolerate you. In any case, to answer your first question, I am the "God" of this realm._

_God!?_

_You're thoughts, emotions, desires, they're all an open book to me, for I have lived in this realm for as long as you have EXISTED,_ Sai felt some animosity emanating from the stranger_. Even now, I can sense your confusion, your fear. It makes the air thick and difficult to breathe! You pathetic weakling, do you honestly expect me to play horse for a spineless king like you!?_

"Feeling a little pissed right now, are we?" Sai allowed himself a little smirk as he allowed his "other" persona to take over, a self-defense mechanism, if you will. "So how come you're mad, eh? After so long being bathed in these 'pathetic' emotions, you should rejoice that you can finally vent! So come on, hit me with your best shot!" Sai placed a hand over his chest. "Tamaki just so happened to be very well informed on the ways of the Shinigami. If what you say is true, than you must be my zampakuto! And this realm, my soul! If that is the case, then slaying me here will eliminate the existence of this realm, and you with it!" Sai could see the outline of the figure now: humanoid, with wings. He also thought he could see an incredibly long shape coming from its right, but he couldn't be sure.

_Ah… I see… So you aren't hopeless after all… very well. I shall allow you to live, and take this lesson with you on your way out: like eyes adjusting to the night, the more you bathe yourself in "darkness", the more this realm shall reveal itself to you._ Sai could feel his grip on the strange realm slipping_. And as a parting gift, for now, I shall grant you the power of that darkness…_

* * *

"Tamaki!!!"

Tamaki turned around, he did not just hear Sai. He was down. Tamaki's special brass knux took care of that. Imagine his surprise when not only was Ketsuraku standing, but fully healed of all injuries (not that he had many to begin with, Tamaki had only used enough force to knock him out), and triumphantly carrying a sheathed sword. The sheath was black, with a stripe of silver going down the edges. The guard: no guard. And the grip: wrapped in grey bandages, ending in a simple black and white pommel.

Tamaki grinned, "Found yer zampakuto, eh?"

Sai merely stood there, drew the pure silver sword, and declared, "Anari, KURONAWA!"

"I rushed ya a little, but ya finally did it, Ketsuraku!"

* * *

The traffic list doesn't really tell me if people are bothering to keep up with the story, so...

REVIEWS ARE NICE!!!


	6. Kuronawa

Disclaimer: Kubo Tite owns, though the characters and places used in this story are of my own design

* * *

"Ya couldn't see yer inner world at all?"

Sai sighed from the crate he had adopted as a chair, "No, Tamaki, I couldn't. Kuronawa said that 'like eyes adjusting to the night,' the more I bathed myself in that 'darkness' he was talking about, the more I'd see of that place."

Tamaki lay on a nearby mat, chugging away at a (large) bottle of sake, "I'd be careful if I were you. Who knows what he could mean by 'darkness'."

Sai shrugged, "Don't look at me, I mean, 'darkness' could mean _hundreds_ of things. Heck, he could be implying that I should dip myself in a vat of _tar_."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"But you're not."

"True" Tamaki paused, letting the silence sink in. Why? His bottle was empty. "Hey, Sai?"

"Hm?"

"I forget, what does yer zampakuto do again?"

Sai sighed, again, though it had an edge to it this time, "That's what you get for drinking."

"Aw, c'mon, Sai!"

Sai glanced at the sword, hanging onto a nail in the wall by a chain attached to the sheath. "Kuronawa is a mainly combat based zampakuto. It has no kido based abilities of its own, though I can apparently use it to focus and/or direct kido that I might already know. In place of a kido based power, it can shapeshift into any melee weapon that I will it to be, including weapons that utilize ropes or chains, such as whips or pendulums. However, it cannot split itself, so I cannot use weapon pairs or projectile weapons. It can also copy the shapes of other zampakuto, although it does not incorporate their special abilities. It also can't change its weight freely, instead taking the weight of an average weapon of that design. Therefore, I can't turn it into a featherweight axe or an ultra-heavy knife. All in all, it's primarily based on my own ability to use those weapons and the styles associated with them, as well as my ability to switch between those styles."

"De'dforteeny'reoldwi'SoulRipperpowers say WHA?"

Sai slapped himself, "Tamaki…why do I even bother…" _I am __**definitely**__ hiding the next batch he buys…he's practically __**useless**__ when he's drunk._

* * *

"Amanda, you awake?"

Amanda blinked, "Huh?"

Shannon, her 'BFF' (whatever that means) pointed her finger at Amanda "Don't 'huh' me! You've been acting all funny since Valentine's Day!"

Amanda put her head down and rested her chin on her arms. She was at school, just like all the other students. "Sorry," she faked a grin. "I'm just a little depressed, 's all."

"Depressed? How come? Did your _emo _boyfriend break up with you?"

Amanda was horrified; Sai? Break up with her? They weren't even really together to begin with! "No!" She blurted. "Wait, _EMO!?_"

"Come _on._ He had the shirt, the jacket, the shoes- I'll admit that his hair didn't match, but-"

"But that doesn't mean that he's _EMO!_"

"Well he always _acted_ emo when you weren't around. Which reminds me, I haven't seen him since Friday the Thirteenth, where'd he go?"

"It was in the headlines. Front page on the local paper, even."

Shannon waved it off, "Sorry, don't read the paper. That's what old people do." She put her finger to her chin and decided to act smart, "Although… If it's in the papers then it's gotta be something big." You could practically see the match light up over her head. "AHA!!" Insert a snap of the fingers here. "He was arrested! So Amanda, what'd he do?"

Amanda banged her head on the desk. _And** I'm** the blonde..._ "Shannon, sometimes I wonder why I even hang out with you…"

* * *

Back in Soryuju, Sai sneezed.

"That means sumone's talkin' about'cha."

"Tamaki, who in their right mind would talk about me?"

"I dunno…maybe the chick who's got the other half of that amulet!"

"Hey! I never said I gave it to a girl!"

"But that's the only way it makes sense!"

"Dammit, Tamaki! I hate it when you're right!"

* * *

On another note, Sai is actually seventeen (17), but Tamaki is drunk, so he can't tell. That, and the new hairstyle makes him look younger.


	7. Bakudo

For those who are wondering where the hell the drama is, I'm setting Sai up before the real story begins.

Disclaimer: Man I hate doing this every chap...Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite, not me. All OCs and the concept of district seven, Soryuju, however, are my own.

* * *

"Tamaki, are you sure this is gonna work?"

"Of course Sai! That's why we're outside; so you don't blow my house ta bits!"

Sai sighed, "If you say so…" He raised Kuronawa, pointed it at the sky, and attempted to recite the incantation from memory. "False god Thanatos that bears witness to all souls of the land, strike down those who thine eyes find unworthy and banish them from the earth; Hado number Four! Byakurai!"

The sword was covered in lightning, if only for a second. Then the bolt shot out, arching toward the ground before dissipating. Sai tried again, only to achieve the same result.

Tamaki shook his head, "No, no, NO! It's not supposed ta do that! It's supposed ta go straight Sai!"

"Shut up." Sai brandished Kuronawa, then pointed it at Tamaki. "You were a lowly samurai; no spiritual pressure. How the hell do you know all this? For that matter, how the hell did you get it right?"

"You're in no position ta ask me any questions! No do what yer sensei says and do that over until ya get that right!"

"BYAKURAI!"

Tamaki barely had enough time to dodge.

* * *

The end of the day; Tamaki and Sai are sitting on Tamaki's roof. At least, Sai is. Tamaki's too drunk to climb, so he's leaning in a chair on the ground floor.

"…I still can't believe you got them right."

Tamaki is offended, "Hey! Soul Reapers come here all the time; one of the restaurants 'round here is really good!"

"Okay, then explain to me why _I _haven't heard of it."

"So, Sai, what'd yer sensei teach ya today?"

"Don't go changing the subject on me!"

Tamaki tried to look serious, quite a feat considering he was still hung over from the day before, "_What did yer sensei teach ya today?"_

Sai closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

"SAI!!"

"Behold the difference between our power, you fool; now restrain yourself and stay out of my way. Bakudo number one; Sai."

Tamaki felt a curious tugging sensation, then fell out of his chair, hands behind his back. "Hey…" Ooh, Tamaki had an epiphany. "You've got the same name as a Kido, Sai."

"No."

"Huh?"

"The meaning of the Bakudo 'Sai' is 'Restrain', the meaning of my name is 'Companion.'"

"And 'Ketsuraku'?"

"'Lost.'"

"'Lost Companion,' huh…And what was the name of the pretty girl that's got the other half of that amule-"

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon youirself with horror and claw out your own throat. Bakudo number Nine, Geki."

A red light surrounded Tamaki, leaving him paralyzed. "No more probing questions from you. I'm going to sleep."

_ON THE ROOF!?_

"Yes, Tamaki. On the roof."

_HE CAN READ MAH FRIGGIN' MIND NOW!?_

"No. You're just insanely predictable when your drunk."

_YOU'RE INSANE, DAMMIT!_

* * *

Hooray for insane protagonists! (Even though Sai isn't really one of them)

Yes, I realize that those aren't the real incantations for the kido, but they were the best I could come up with given the circumstances. I mean, really, there's no incantation ever _mentioned_ for Bakudo number One and Hado number Four!


	8. Hisakata

1500 words! My longest chapter yet! Better be, I planned this one out for weeks!

Disclaimer: Yeah yeah, we all know the drill.

* * *

"So what do we do now? That rouge Shinigami's gonna come here _sometime_ and then what'll we do?"

"Simple, we won't let him in in the first place."

* * *

Izuru Kira was lazing around the barracks. It was an understood fact that every few months he took a day off to cool down from all the paperwork. Of course, that left the others to take care of it, but Kira didn't really care anymore.

Kira stared at the ceiling. "Captain," he spoke into the empty air. "If only we had another captain…but Central 46 is always so slow… Oh well…" As he let that sigh escape from his lips a hell butterfly came in. "Hm? Jeez, I don't _wanna_ work today…"

The butterfly chimed its routine: Blah blah blah is to eliminate blah blah blah because so and so is a threat to Seireitei. Any refusals will be interpreted as insubordination and those who do refuse will be severely punished by authority of the blah. At least, that's what Kira thought. The butterfly wasn't all that close, so he couldn't tell.

It was about an hour before Kira finally decided to move again; the hell butterfly was using it's natural chimes to act as an alarm clock. The sound projected so far that you could barely hear Toshiro scream for Matsumoto; little squirt must've thought the butterfly was _her _problem.

"Okay, okay, I get it. What'm I supposed to do?"

_There is a rouge Soul Reaper in district seven of Soul Society. We are not aware of his power level, so we'd advise bringing a few subordinates along. If his intentions are hostile, eliminate him. If they aren't, eliminate him; it is illegal for any konpaku to become a Shinigami without first going through the Academy. Do we make ourselves clear?_

"Yeah, yeah. But I'll pass on bringing a group. If they don't do the paperwork there's gonna be more for me, and frankly, I just don't want to do any anymore."

_Understood. That will be all, lieutenant Izuru._

* * *

"TAMAKI!!!!"

"What, what!? What'd I do _this_ time?"

Sai pointed to the blank space on the wall, "WHERE IS KURONAWA!?"

"HEY! It wasn't me this time! Honestly!"

The 'little girl' in the house poked her head out from behind a door, "Could you two keep it quiet? We're trying to sleep in here!"

"Okay." Sai, who was still a little tense, bent down and knelt before the girl, "So could you _please and thank you_ tell me where my sword is?"

"Yeah. The guy in the uniform over there took it."

"NANI!?"

There he was, Izuru Kira, lieutenant of the third division. Carrying Kuronawa and inspecting it like it was some kind of gem.

"HEY! Give that back!"

Kira looked up. He seemed kind of surprised that the 'rouge shinigami' didn't look older than seventeen. "Oh. This is yours then? Look, I'm supposed to kill you, like it or not. So please, make this easier on yourself and give up without putting up a fight, okay?"

"Not okay! Anari, Kuronawa! Flail!"

The sheath of the sword suddenly exploded, a ball of spikes being the source of the problem. Kira jumped back in surprise, dropping the remains of the sheath and shunpo-ing a good twenty yards away. Sai walked up to where the lieutenant used to be and picked up the ball, commanding it to take the shape of a bladed pendulum as he did so.

"So that's your zampakuto's power?"

Sai started spinning the pendulum around; not the insanely fast rotation that Shirosaki does, though. It was more a lazy twirl, his hands going ahead, the weight going so that the bottom part of the arc was when it swung foward. "Sorry, you're gonna have to clarify, I can't tell you my zampakuto's power just yet; you wouldn't understand and I don't really have the time, now, do I?"

Kira's eye's narrowed. "I'm afraid not."

"Sucks for you then." Sai let go of the pendulum after swinging it a little harder, allowing the chain to extend as far as it could. Kira was mildly amused; he was afraid the pendulum would hit him, and here the chain was a good yard short. "And here's the kicker, Byakurai!"

Kira glanced towards Sai. _The guy's bluffing_, he thought, _here he shouts out the name of a kido, and he's not even- eh?_ The lighting was gathering, right in front of him, at the very tip of the pendulum. Kira leaped out of the way and released Wabisuke, watching in not-so-mild-anymore surprise as the Hado blasted out from the weapon, creating a blast crater a good ten feet long.

Sai yanked the chain up, causing the weight at the end to rise and act like a whip; with Izuru directly above the chain, it would be an easy hit for Sai. Kira blocked the weight, dropping a couple of feet closer to Sai than he was before. The pendulum, not being so light anymore, slammed into the ground, forming a hole about an inch deep.

"So that's how yer zampakuto works, eh, Izuru?"

Kira turned towards the voice, then spoke in a low, warning tone, "Tamaki. Long time, no see."

Tamaki just lay at the stairs to his abode, "Is that all the greeting I get? Sheesh, unappreciative bastard." Tamaki turned to his 'student'. "SAI! His zampakuto increases the weight of whatever it hits, doubling it over and over each time the blade strikes! Use that to your advantage!"

"Already working on it!" Sai pulled on the chain, the weight bursting out of the ground. He swung it above his head and let it swing for a bit, then he threw it again at Kira. Kira raised Wabisuke in defense, but was again deceived; the pendulum was too far to the right. However, it swung to the left and wrapped itself around Izuru. Once, twice, then the blade fell still, slung almost casually over Izuru's sword arm. The chain was directly between Kira and Sai, and hung right next to Wabisuke.

"Is that all?" Sai said, almost casually advancing upon Kira, swinging the chain back and forth. Back and forth, back and forth, each time hitting the square hook of Wabisuke. Each time making it harder for Izuru to stand. "You really underestimated me. Perhaps it's because I look to young to be a threat, eh?" Finally Kira fell to his knees, the weight of the chain alone being enough to bring him down. Sai grabbed Wabisuke from his grip and held the hook right under Kira's chin. "This blade…whatever it strikes has its weight doubled, correct? If that is the case, then if I tap your chin right here, your head will be too much for your neck to support, and it will fall, right onto your waiting blade below."

"Now, if white is good, and black is evil, which one are you?"

Kira struggled to force the words out. Poor guy was terrified. "White."

There was disappointment in Sai's eyes. "Wrong." Kira's eyes widened in horror. Surely this boy meant to kill him now! "Everybody thinks the world is black and white. You're _all_ wrong. Pure white will blind you because you are unworthy of seeing absolute purity, for all are stained and all bow to the purest shade of white they can see without losing their sight, only to realize that there is black deep within. Pure black will kill you without sparing a thought. Understand now that there is no black, there is no white. There is only grey and the colors we stain it with."

Sai cast the sword aside and called back Kuronawa. The sheathed blade now hanging by the belt loops on his jeans. "Tell Central 46 this. Next time they think of sending someone to kill me, make sure they don't send someone who will underestimate me, because I _will_ get stronger, and I _will_ see to it that the mistakes of old are removed and replaced by the order of the new."

Kira got up. "And who, if I may, should I tell them bested me?"

Sai thought for a moment and found a fitting pseudonym. "They can call me…Cinereus."

* * *


	9. Taiki

* * *

Damn, I've really gotta make it so that the word count is bigger!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Only the characters and locations (within Soul Society itself) used in this fic.

* * *

"Hey, Tamaki."

"Hm?"

"What do you do if here is an evil you cannot defeat using just means? Do you use evil to erase evil, or do you fight with justice until the bitter end?"

"Justice o course! At the very least I want people to remember me as a brave man who fought for what's right!"

"How cliché."

"What, you got somethin' against justice?"

"Nah, just that it never seems to work."

* * *

"Aww, c'mon!"

"No, now stop asking."

Typical day at school without Sai: the jocks (more like jerks. Notice the similarity) would always hit on Amanda. It's been getting worse since he died. At the very least he would come the next day when he was alive.

"You sure you wouldn't want to go-"

"She said no, now leave her alone!"

Amanda glanced over to Shannon. Funny, usually it was Sai who said something like that. She let out a sigh.

"Hm? Something wrong, Amanda?"

"Nah, just remembering how Sai was always one to take action."

"Isn't that what landed him in jail?"

"For the last time, he's dead!"

* * *

Sai was sitting on his usual 'chair'. He had Kuronawa out this time, running his fingers along the blade. The released zampakuto is very easy to shape and manipulate, it seems.

Tamaki finally noticed. "Sai, what're you doin'?"

"Well, I thought it might come in handy if those Shinigami didn't realize it was already released, so they'd be even more surprised when I started fighting with them." Sai raised the weapon. It looked more like an oversized machete now; still no guard, simple blade, bandaged grip. The only decoration (more or less) was a semicirular 'hole' in the blade, about five inches from the grip, two inches long, one inch deep. It came inward from the back of the blade. From there a black bar extended about a foot toward the tip of the blade, but fell short. The blade itself was about two and a half feet long, with an additional foot or so for the grip and pommel, meaning the whole sword was about three and a half feet. "See? At first glance it looks like it's still sealed, so they'd never expect it to change forms on them when I didn't release it, therefore, I've got a tiny bit of an edge."

Tamaki squinted a little. "All swords have edges, Sai."

"Damn you're stupid… Next time I'm not gonna explain to you."

The silence sunk in as Tamaki finally took offence, then: "HEY!!"

"So, when's the next time you're teaching me kido?"

"HOW ABOUT RIGHT NOW!?" Tamaki stood up, totally pumped and ready to blow something up. "We've been sitting 'round for a whole freakin' week, and the author hadn't even done anythin' the whole week he had off!"

Sai blinked, then, "Huh?"

"Oh right, I have a contract. I'm not s'posed to tell you 'nythin' 'bout the fourth wall…"

"Just teach me the stupid kido so I can go and re-create Seireitei."

"Fine, fine. Party pooper."

* * *

"Okay, so you point yer.. err.. _point of focus_ or whatever towards the target and the incantation goes… How'd it go again…?"

Sai was getting tired of holding the ridiculous pose. _Stupid Tamaki. I thought he remembered all of that stuff._

"OH YEAH! Thunder carriage, Bridge of the spinning wheel, Divide this into six with light! Bakudo 61, Rikujokoro!"

Sai stared for a second. "I'm not even sure you're right, but here goes…"

He copied everything Tamaki said, but even _with_ the stupid kido performed, something still felt off.

"Tamaki, are you sure it's supposed to hold you still by holding you up in the air by your head?"

"NOPE!"

He felt like slapping himself. "Okay… what's the next one Tamaki?"

Tamaki struck a ridiculous, super-sentai styled pose from where he hovered in the air. The six rods of light weren't helping at all with how incredibly _stupid_ he looked. "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and blood, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado 31, Shakkaho!" During this whole speech Tamaki was slowly moving in the air while pulling off more inane poses.

Sai was getting more than annoyed by Tamaki's ridiculous antics, but then again, Tamaki was the only one who knew this stuff in district seven, and there was NO way that Sai was going to the Academy to get help. So he pointed his sword at Tamaki and let the kido loose. You could barely hear his scream over the exaggerated explosion.

"OKAY, OKAY, SAI! I'll get serious! Here! To make ya happy, I'll teach ya an extra special kido today!"

"Hm?"

"In my right hand, I hold the stone that connects the worlds. In my left, the blade that binds existence. A bank of cloud comes, striking us and the crested Ibis! Now please don't blow me up!"

Sai tried it out. The guy didn't realize that that was the kido that opened up **GARGANTA** until it was too late. "TAMAAKIII!!"

"I'm sooo frikin' dead." Tamaki waved to the camera as the hollows poured through (and while Sai attempted to kill them all). "It's been fun guys! But if the hollows don' kill me then Sai here will."

* * *

Tamaki, Sai won't kill you. You've still gotta teach Sai all that stuff first! THEN he'll kill you.


	10. The Raid

And now it begins

* * *

"You're leavin' now?"

"…Yeah."

"S'been fun. Go an' make chaos."

"You know I will."

* * *

Two guards were idly chatting at the open gates. The open doors were inviting, but were only open for the shinigami who were patrolling Rukongai for hollows.

"So, what've you heard of this Cinereus guy?"

"Same as everyone else. He beat Lieutenant Izuru without breaking a sweat. But then…didn't Kira say that he'd be coming here sooner or later?"

"Yeah. Let's hope he doesn't on our watch."

Sai walked out of the bushes, startling the guards. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm here."

The first guard stared in shock, pointed his finger at Sai, and damn well burst his lungs laughing. "YOU!?" He choked out between bursts of laughter. "YOU'RE the Cinereus guy that's left Seireitei terrified!? You're not even 18!"

"How would you know? Time passes by differently in Soul Society. For all you know, I could be 200 years old."

"Pfft, yea right…like a guy like you could hide from the authorities for that long."

Sai closed his eyes and smirked. "I suppose you're right." Suddenly, the guard found a bladed chain around his neck. "I kill them."

Off went his head.

The second guard stood his ground, or was it that he was too terrified to even move? Sai glared at him. "You. Draw your sword and fight. Don't just stand there like some statue; you've got a job to do." The guard blinked, planted his feet firmly into the ground, drew his sword. "Yeah, that's more like it. You're job is to defend against intruders like me. Now let's make it look like you went down with a fight."

The last thing the guy saw was a zweihander, crashing through the night sky, before it slashed through his chest.

"Now that that job's done," Sai looked up the walls of Seireitei. "I can get started."

Sai climbed up the (ridiculously high) wall, then stood triumphantly on top. "If what Tamaki said is correct, then there's a barrier 'round Seireitei. However, he also said that opening up a gate of any kind, be it for Shinigami or otherwise, would temporarily dissipate the barrier, so…"

He raised his hands like a preacher. "In my right hand, the stone that connects the worlds. In my left, the blade that binds existence…" The night sky of Seireitei suddenly seemed darker. "A bank of cloud comes, striking us and the crested ibis…"

A hole ripped through the barrier of Seireitei, hollows literally pouring through to the 'city' below.

"And now, to find a hiding place…" Sai rammed Kuronawa into the wall and slid down. Then started looking for a place within Seireitei where no Soul Reaper would go.

* * *

Sorry for the short chap! I only planned it this far, and it turns out it doesn't even make 500 words! Oh well, better luck next time...


	11. The Mask

Disclaimer: Yadda yadda, blah blah blah, we all know this already, s'there's not much point in writing it anymore.

* * *

Sai ducked furtively between the maze of alleys that makes up the majority of Seireitei. "Hiding place, hiding place…where in Seireitei is a good hiding place?"

The annoying image of Tamaki poofed right into Sai's line of sight, and creepily enough, it spoke: "'F I remember correctly, there's an ol' building' near the south gate. _Real_ eerie lookin'. Nobody's been in there for decades."

"That would be great." Sai retorted. "If I could tell which direction was 'south' at this time of night!"

The image of Tamaki pointed in a seemingly random direction and said, quite simply, "That way."

"_Suuure_…I'm supposed to listen to a hallucination I'm having 'cause I've been around a drunkard and his sake too much. That makes _perfect_ sense." Sai went in that direction anyway.

The image hung there for about a second before departing with the words: "Never underestimate the power of plot devices kid."

* * *

"No…frikin'…way…"

Sai stood in awe of the building. _Perfect!_ rang through his head over and over. The building itself was in a small clearing in a forest and about seven feet high; not easy to see over the maze, had tinted glass windows; _really_ good for hiding things in, and emitted a strange aura. Almost as if the previous owner was _so_ powerful that his reiatsu remained long after his departure.

"Next time I hallucinate, I doin' whatever the damn thing says."

So he walked in.

* * *

"Damn…this place is creepier _in_ than it is _out_."

The place was like a museum. White masks hung on the walls, bronze or copper plates underneath with descriptions of the hollows they belonged to, their powers, and other such fun. Quite a few of them had silver plaques, which prompted Sai to wonder if there was one with a gold plaque in the building. Eventually Sai came across one that _really_ piqued his interest. The overall design was rather…_off._ The mask was shaped sort of like an exaggerated exonn shape --the ends tapered off into four points, the top two curving upward into horns-- and instead of white, was silver, and shone with a fine polish one wouldn't expect for something that's been collecting dust. There was no jaw, just a jester's grin painted on in black and a teardrop shape underneath the left eye where the Reaper's sword probably impaled the hollow. Otherwise, the whole thing was undecorated.

Sai glanced at the plaque. "Calamity, huh? Hope ya don't mind me borrowing your mask."

And so the name Cinereus was given a face.

* * *

The graveyard…such a sad, lonely place. Nowhere you'd expect to find the normally cheerful Amanda, yet, here she was, looking over Sai's grave. Standing over his corpse.

She shivered at the thought.

She placed her half of the amulet and a photo at the foot of the gravestone (her and Sai, a few years ago; they had happened to meet each other at the beach), his frozen smile seemingly attempting to lift the grave atmosphere-- and read the inscription one last time.

"_This grave stands for one who wished to change the world, but was powerless to do anything. For one who knew the horrors that hid behind the mask of humanity. For one who was killed because of it. His soul may never rest in peace because of that, and in rebirth, might fight to right humanity's wrongs."_

She stood and walked away, then spoke to the empty air.

"Sayonara, Kesturaku Sai."

She never looked back.

And while she tried in the world of the living to forget him, Sai sat on his roof in Seireitei and behind his mask renewed his vow upon the stars to never forget. Never forget the friends who meant so much to him. The ones he wanted to --no, _would_-- change the world for. To make it a safer place, for happiness; for everyone.

First step: Turn Seireitei upside-down, and establish a new order.

* * *

Yeah...I borrowed Sai's hiding spot from an earlier fic that I (really) botched up, so that's not here anymore. 'N I changed my penname after that so...Yea, the material is still _technically_ mine. Therefore, no copyright infringement.


	12. Rememberance

And now, since I started off by KILLING Sai, we'll have an Emo-ish look into his past!

* * *

Sai stared up at the stars in the night sky. They were the same…the same as the ones back on Earth, but everything else was so different here.

But he knew other things that would always stay the same.

* * *

"Aww, man!"

"What is it now?"

"I just realized: I sound just like Jesse McCartney!"

"…Huh?"

"Y'know, the singer who plays Troy in High School whatever-it-was who _just so happens_ to voice Roxas!" It was true. Sai was a die-hard Kingdom Hearts fan. Hell, he even designed his own variation of the Keyblade and dubbed it the "Sweet Insanity."

"And that's bad _why_?"

"Hello! Once the preppies catch wind of this who _knows_ what they'll force me to do!"

"C'mon. You're the King of Emo. No one'd want to hear you sing."

"EMO!?"

"That's right. You're the King of Emo," teased Amanda. "Just like Roxas." She poked him in the chest. "Heck, you even _look_ like him. Black'n'white jacket, blue eyes, even your _hair _spikes up the same way."

"No it doesn't!"

"You're right, it doesn't. But it still spikes up and you still look like Roxas!"

"Oh yeah? Well if I look like Roxas, then you must be Namine!"

"What!?"

"Light blonde hair, eyes as blue as sapphires, and an obvious preference for the color white."

Sai's mocking tone masked the compliment quite well. Amanda didn't notice it and took offence instead.

---

"How did I get myself dragged into this?"

"Well you were the one who thought we looked like characters in your favorite video game."

"But I didn't say we had to dress up as them!"

"Yeah. That was my idea."

Sai…well, _sighed._ Amanda had somehow managed to drag him off to the dance (which had a consplay theme. Imagine that!). It wasn't just that, either. Somehow she'd found outfits for them that matched their 'characters' perfectly. Problem was; she couldn't decide between giving him the black cloak or Roxas' "Twilight Town outfit". Actually, he didn't mind that part. Hell, he actually _liked_ the fact that he got to dress up as his favorite character. It was just that the _preppies_ would notice the resemblance between him and McCartney a whole lot faster.

He finally settled for the cloak. "The better to hide his face with."

---

"Oh, ROOOXAS!"

Sai grimaced. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that!"

"But it's too much fun! And 'Ketsuraku' is too hard to say."

Sai resigned himself to his fate. "Okay, what do you want _this _time?"

Whenever Amanda called him 'Roxas' he understood the threat: "Do something for me or I'll tell the preppies about your _wonderful_ singing voice."

"Another ice cream."

"But this is my last bar!" Amanda folded her arms and gave him 'the look'.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Fine." Sai faked a look of resignation and gave her the ice cream. In all honesty, he was _happy_ that Amanda was actually talking to him again. Not about that jock with the huge muscles and the scar across his nose and the (weird) skull cap that she _obviously_ had a crush on right now.

Not that he could let her know of course.

---

Sai was over at Amanda's house (they were neighbors). She was crying over some rejection. _Again_.

_And she calls __me__ emo…_

"Hey, it's alright. The guy was a jerk anyway." Amanda kept sobbing. "C'mon Amanda! It's been four weeks already!" More tears. Sai sat there for a minute, disturbed by the amount of emotion she was pouring out for a guy who didn't even care. Oh how he wished he knew what she was thinking! Or maybe a chance to blow the jerk's head off. Or maybe his balls... Yeah, that would hurt more.

Sai sighed. "Amanda…" That got her attention. "Just listen to me. I've always been there for you… And I always will be. So please… if you're hurt, just tell me. If you're sad, let me know. If you're mad, take it out on me. We'll share the pain."

Amanda wiped her eyes, then pecked him on the cheek. "Aww, that's so sweet."

Sai shrugged and tried to fight off the red creeping up his cheeks. "It's what friends are for."

* * *

Sai gazed at the creeping dawn. He was in one of his…how should I put it…? "Poetic" moods right then.

"Even if the world is different... Even if my face is different… I'm still me… I still have my memories… That'll _never_ change."

* * *

Yeah, Roxas. I designed Sai's original face and outfit and stuff and it ended up looking like the guy, so I thought: "Sure, I'll throw that in the story somewhere."

Amanda came later and I realized that she looked kinda like Namine, so...here we are.

*Edit*

Oops...looks like I got the cast of HSM wrong. Oh well. Sai was never into pop culture anyways, so his confusion kinda fits.


	13. Kurosaki

Okay, this one's supposed to be sort of an intermission, things that will happen:  
Sai gets stronger  
Ichigo and co. arrive  
Gotei 13 plans on how to deal with Cinereus.

* * *

Sai was poking around his 'hideout'. He figured, if the place's been around for as long it has, there's got to be _some_ secrets somewhere in its depths.

"AHA!"

Looks like he found what he was looking for.

He pulled out a rather large tome, almost like one of those textbooks he had to carry around at the high school. It seemed to have come from the Academy, although it was unlikely that they had anything as _modern_ as a textbook to carry around. The dusty, leather bound book was labeled: Advanced Techniques for Soul Reapers, Vol 1. _Well, _Sai thought, _this'll probably take care of all the stuff Tamaki couldn't teach me._

So he sat down at the conveniently placed desk and opened it up. _Stage 1... Basic elements of advanced techniques…_

* * *

"So you're serious."

"Unfortunately so, Kurosaki-kun." Urahara peeked out from behind his fan. "It seems like an old… _colleague_ of mine has sent an agent of his to terrorize Seireitei… He apparently intends to turn Seireitei upside-down, figuratively of course. Problem is, we don't know what he intends to do when he does."

"And you want _me_ to take care of him?"

"That's the idea."

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. _Sheesh…Why do _I_ always have to take care of this stuff…?_

"Anyway!" The fan snapped shut. "We have the gate open and ready for you, Ichigo. I assume you can handle this problem yourself?"

"…"

"Hello? Ichigo?"

"You can get your fan out of my face. Of course I'll go."

* * *

Tamaki sneezed.

"Jeez… Looks like Urahara-kun's talking about me again…"

* * *

Sai was reclining back in his chair. "Stage three… Basic concepts behind Shunpo…Shunpo? What's that?"

* * *

"Bye bye, au revior, have a safe trip and-" Urahara was cut off by a fist to the face.

Ichigo just walked up to the gate, saying, "Just skip the formalities, old man."

"Wait! Kurosaki!"

Ichigo turned around, "Hm? Ishida? Chad?" He could've sworn he saw a smirk on both of their faces. _Wait a sec…Ishida _never_ smiles…_

"Don't think you can just leave us behind, Ichigo!"

* * *

"Stage 7, Advanced Kido concepts…"

* * *

"DAMMIT URAHARA! AT LEAST MAKE IT SAFER!"

"JUST SHUT UP AND RUN, KUROSAKI!!"

"…"

"Hey, either of you getting the feeling that this is taking a _lot_ longer then it should?"

"Just shut up and run!"

* * *

"Three domains…Land, sea, and sky… by the strength of all living things I command thee to cleave my enemies in two…"

Sai peeked up from the book at a nearby tree.

"Hado 13, Violent Reunion."

Three points of light converged at the tree, then disappeared. The tree was cut straight down the middle by blades of wind.

"…nice…"

* * *

"General Captain Yamamoto, when is Ichigo Kurosaki scheduled to arrive?"

"The substitute is due to arrive within the hour, give or take thirty minutes."

"Damn…who knows how much Cinereus can do in that amount of time…"

Byakuya interjected, "It is pointless for you to worry so much. Cinereus is clearly only a low-level Shinigami with an unusual talent for Kido. He won't be able to do much within ninety minutes, even _if_ he is on the same level as some of our captains."

Kenpachi grinned from his spot on the wall. "Let's just let him get stronger, Soi-Fon, no need to find and kill him now. And then," Here he clenched his fist, "_I_ can fight him!"

"Fine," Toshiro. "If he kills you it's your fault."

* * *

Sai flipped to another page. "You cannot strike me, for the surrounding darkness will draw you in for the kill, and bring about your doom instead of mine…" A glance toward the falling leaves outside. "…Bakudo 7, Black Congregation…"

The leaves swirled around a small point of black that hung in the air, then were flung outward with a remarkable amount of force when the dot disappeared. _Hm…a small gravity well…_ Sai was mildly puzzled. _Shouldn't that one be classified under 'Hado'? It's got more _offensive_ capabilities than _defensive…_moving on…_

"From the flow of blood that brings life to all…"

* * *

"THERE'S THE EXIT!"

* * *

The gate opened up in the captains' meeting hall. Startling a few of the captains present.

"Speak of the devil," Shunsui began.

"Welcome back to Seireitei, Ichigo Kurosaki, Sado Yasutora, Uryu Ishida."

* * *

Yeah, from here on I'm kinda making up Kido as I go. Oh well, I finally have a good set of antagonists!


	14. Encounter

Disclaimer: I just own the original concepts introduced in this story. The rest of it belongs to Kubo.

* * *

"Ichigo Kurosaki, as you know-"

"Yeah, yeah, there's a rogue Shinigami somewhere in Seireitei, some pupil of one of Urahara's aquaintance's, he's really dangerous, don't let your guard down, yadda yadda, if ya don't mind gramps, I'm gonna go kill this asshole." Ichigo shunpo-ed out of the room.

"…"

"Sorry, General Captain," Chad apologized, since Uryu didn't seem to care what kind of trouble Ichigo got himself into. "Ichigo can be a little… blunt… at times…"

"As long as the objective is completed, it doesn't matter how he gets there."

Unohana was the only one to notice Kenpachi breaking down, or maybe he was just pissed. "Dammit… I really wanted to fight him again, and now he goes off and takes the next best guy…"

* * *

Sai closed the book. "Guess that's it. Damn, I wish they'd covered some more material, it was starting to get interesting…" Sai changed into an ordinary Reaper uniform he found lying around the house (No use wearing something outlandishly different when you're trying to blend in), climbed to the roof, and shunpo-ed off into the city.

* * *

Ichigo was, more or less, just being an idiot; searching through every corner of the maze just beyond Sokyoku hill. Not very effective if you're trying to find _one particular_ person.

"Dammit…just how hard is it to find one criminal anyway!?" Ichigo looked up. Something was headed toward him, _fast_. "OOF!"

"Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to hit you like that!"

Ichigo got up from where his head had hit the tile. "Whatever…" Sai started to walk off. "Wait!"

Sai turned around, "Hm?"

"There's supposed to be this criminal guy, really dangerous, they don't really have anything on him since everyone he's run into was killed, save for Izuru, but that coward ain't talkin'." Ichigo paused here, thinking that the guy would need time for the info to sink in. "You have any idea who he is and where he's hiding?"

"Hm? A criminal you say?" Sai knew the orange-haired guy was talking about _him._ "Well, there's supposed to be this rogue Reaper out there who goes by the name 'Cinereus'. Last I checked that meant 'ashen grey' in Latin. Anyway, he's supposed to be really good at kido, despite never going to the Academy. He's also said to call upon hollows…" Here Sai decided to make a false identity to throw the red(orange?)head off. "That's why they let me out of the Academy early, so I could help take this guy down."

"Wait, you're just out of the Academy!?" Ichigo was shocked, "How the hell can you do Shunpo!? I thought that was a-"

"YEAH…" Sai scratched his head. "I was apparently the 'star pupil', not that I really had any choice."

"Huh? How do you _not _chose to excel? That doesn't make any sense."

"Err…I was _forced_ to obtain my Zanpakuto at week two of my studies by some nut teacher." Sai shrugged. "Everything just became easy from there."

"Huh, never knew it worked that way." Ichigo got up. "Anyway, I gotta go, that guy could be getting away as we speak." Ichigo shunpo-ed off…again.

Sai waited for a bit, then stood up, a scowl on his face. _Damn…that guy had a lot of spiritual pressure, taking down the order within Seireitei is gonna be tough…and that guy didn't have a captain's robe…that means the captains're gonna be even harder to get rid of…Dammit! With the level I'm at right now, there's no way I'm gonna re-create the afterlife anytime soon, and it has to happen __now!__ Now, while the infrastructure is still vulnerable! _Sai dashed off to Sokyoku hill; he'd heard of a training ground there. _With three captains missing, and the near loss of all of Central 46, Seireitei is at its weakest! If I wait, the structure will repair itself! I have to get stronger NOW!_

_

* * *

_

Sai landed on the edge of the cave leading into the training ground. Tamaki had told him that the famous Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki, had achieved bankai there, and that Sai could use a technique developed by a friend of Tamaki's to do the same.

Sai opened the door in the back, only to be met with blinding light. _Whoa, who would've thought…_

The door slammed shut behind him.

"What the-?"

"Hello, Ketsuraku Sai."

Sai gaped. The guy was wearing the mask _he_ adopted for Cinereus, his hair was the same as his, the jacket he wore was identical to the one he left at the Museum*, for all intents and purposes the guy standing twelve feet away was _him_.

"Who-who the hell are you!?"

"My my, don't remember me?" The doppelganger took a step forward. "Or have you not looked in a mirror lately?" The figure took the mask off, revealing a face rather different from Sai's. Black marks flowed back from his silver eyes, split behind his ear, traced his jaw, and flowed down his neck, disappearing underneath the hood of the jacket. "It's me, Kuronawa, your Soul slayer."

"But…Kuronawa has wings…and a-"

"'Those who reach for angels in the darkness will only meet demons in the end'…" Kuronawa cast the mask onto the ground. "Those were your very words, I believe, you said them in a scathing speech against the hypocrisy of the Christian church."

"All kidding aside, you came here for one reason: to get stronger, and I told you I'd show you more of that realm you call your soul." Kuronawa smirked, then gestured as if opening a door to let Sai in. "Let's take a tour of the darkest depths of the human spirit, shall we?"

* * *

*Yeah, from here on I'm referring to Sai's hideout as 'the Museum.' It's easier to type up than 'Sai's hiding spot.'

Again, I'd really appreciate reviews, constructive criticism, maybe an idea or two!


	15. Release

And now for another fight scene!

Disclaimer: I just own the stuff I made up for this fic. The rest of it belongs to Kubo.

* * *

Sai stood for a minute, staring at Kuronawa. Then he started to chuckle, which ascended into giggling, eventually cascading into a fit of crazed laughter. Kuronawa looked on bemusedly.

"Does this mean that you don't want to look? That you're chickening out when you need this knowledge to achieve your ultimate goal?" Kuronawa taunted. "Is this all that the great re-writer of the law can do?" Sai kept laughing, Kuronawa's smirk faded. "What of that girl? The one you're doing this all for?"

The laughing died down, enough for Sai to get his point across. "I know that I'll never be able to see her again. She'll probably grow up and find somebody else to love…but the time we shared, and the fact that mere law wasn't enough to stop them from killing me. That's my motivation. To create a world where the authority _protects_ those bonds between people.

"That's why I've kept this amulet, the symbol of my vow, wrapped around my neck. If I were to betray that which I have dedicated my afterlife to, I will die again by its hand."

Sai glared at Kuronawa, his tone was somber, though his mouth was still pulled up in that grin. "I already know of the evil of man, don't think that I don't, don't you dare to reject the fact that I spent _years_ of my life meditating on what man has done, is doing, and will do. You, the 'god' of my soul, who has read my thoughts like an open book from day one."

Kuronawa was silent for a moment, but eventually allowed a friendly grin to grace his features. "There's just one problem. With all your thoughts on philosophy, the video games, and your personal life to boot, all going off at the same time; you think so much that in one day you process as much information as thirteen individuals would in** two** days. I can't read all of it, you nut."

"I can't help it that I'm insane, I inherited it from-"

"Your mother, I know. Rather impressive that you figured you were insane without the help of a psychiatrist. And now, back to you getting stronger…"

"Right. If I am to stand any chance against the Gotei 13, I need-"

"Bankai."

"But I'd need to beat _you_ first."

"Let's get started then," Kuronawa pulled a black scythe with silver highlights from behind him. How he had kept it out of sight, Sai had no clue. Then he noticed that it was constantly changing shape. First a scythe, then an axe, now a claymore.

Now it's headed straight for his face; Sai raised his sword just in time to parry the attack, knocking the shape shifting weapon aside and stabbing straight for Kuronawa's chest. A rapier blocked the assault, only to be broken by Sai changing his weapon into a tomahawk at the last second. Kuronawa 'tch-ed' and retreated, his blade growing back almost instantaneously.

Sai charged, his weapon a zweihander, Kuronawa prepared to block a low strike, seeing as Sai was dragging his weapon behind him. Sai jumped, catching Kuronawa off guard. He seemed to hang sideways in the air for a split second, winding up a strike, then he came down, slamming his blade into Kuronawa's raised shield. That broke the guard down the middle but Kuronawa escaped major injury by retreating several yards back after the initial shock of the blow. Calling back both sides of his shattered weapon, he swung them down and out, forming twin Chinese broadswords.

Sai let his blade settle back into its default mode, then got into position. Dashing forward with the katana-styled blade raised above his head, Kuronawa expected an upward strike. Simple to counter, just kick the enemy in the gut. Sai stepped to the left a yard away from Kuronawa, again ruining the method of counterattack that he'd planned. Now the strike was a downward-diagonal; easily blocked, but with the energy from the rebound Sai could easily create another strike and barrage Kuro, giving him no time to think of another decent counter.

Kuronawa dashed to the side just in time, fusing his weapons back into one as he did so.

"Since we're just about equal in our skill with weapons, how about we cast them aside and fight with our bare fists? Karate, tae-kwon-do, whatever style floats your boat, Sai."

"Hah, we're the edge-masters of our time…Fine. I know how to kill a man with my bare hands anyway." Sai tossed his sword into the dirt and got into his stance, the maniacal grin from before still evident on his face. "It's gonna be over before you know it, Kuronawa!"

Kuronawa took the offensive this time, dashing forward, raising his right fist, punching to hit Sai's face…

Sai ducked to his right, grabbed Kuro's fist where it hung in the air, and tossed Kuro over his back the way they did it in judo. Except that he let go when Kuro was directly over him, sending the relatively light body a couple of feet into the air. Then he brought up his knee, catching Kuronawa, only to bring both his arms down on the dopple's body. A move powerful enough that it would've broken the spine of any ordinary modern man. But Sai wasn't ordinary, and it was _his_ form that Kuronawa was borrowing right now.

In the end it just hurt **a lot**.

And left the Soul Slayer spirit 'kinda' paralyzed on the ground.

Sai sat on a nearby rock after dumping Kuro into the healing waters nearby. "Guess this means I win?"

"For now."

Sai shrugged. "Good enough for me." He paused for a moment. "But where's that 'full release' the book was talking about? I don't really _feel_ stronger."

"Don' worry 'bout it. You will as soon as I waltz back into your sword."

"Then I've gotta practice with it until I'm good at it." Sai stared up at the sky-ceiling. "Hey, does this place hide spiritual pressure?"

"Just as well as that Museum of yours."

"So you mean its _really_ good for hiding things, then."

"Yup."

The two stared up at the ceiling. For all intents and purposes they could pass off as twins, save for the marks on Kuro's face.

"Hey, Kuronawa."

"Hm?"

"I know that all the captains, even Kurosaki, can't help but shout out the name of their Bankais at their release. Is that some kind of bad habit or something?"

"Technically, Bankai is the temporary fusion of the spirits of Zanpakuto and Shinigami. The Zanpakuto's merely introducing him/herself with the whole 'shout-the-name-of-the-Bankai-at-the-time-of-release' thing."

"So what's the name of my Bankai?"

Kuronawa smirked. "Listen to me well, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once." Slowly he seemed to fade out of existence, black, white and grey wisps peeling away his form, collecting at the sheath of Sai's blade. Sai was surprised when, in the moment right before he completely disappeared, Kuronawa looked the way Sai had before he died. Brown spikes and all. "The name of your Bankai: Kenhane no Kuronawa."

Then he was gone.

* * *

I think I'll just let the readers try to figure out what that name means ^^


	16. From Darkside

To aviod confusion: It has chronologically been about 30 days since Sai beat up Kuro

* * *

One month.

It had been a full month since he'd run into that strange Shinigami, the one with the black and white hair.

Ichigo sighed from his post on top of the ruined Sokyoku execution stand. He'd spent the entire month trying to find 'Cinereus', but to no avail. It was all right, he supposed. He got to see Rukia again after the Arrancar incident, he, Ishida, and Chad had found lodging with the Fourth division. Kenpachi had _finally_ gotten off his back about the rematch.

All in all, it was peaceful.

Quiet.

_Wrong._

This time Ichigo groaned. He had hoped he could get some training in; spar with someone, but the only person willing to fight with him was Kenny. Everybody else just stood back and practically worshipped him in the unforgiving _boredom_ of Seireitei at peace.

He had tried the underground training area, of course, but it was locked with kido, and Ichigo, as bad at it as he was, assumed it was locked from the outside by some official and left it be for the month.

Which leads us to how _completely, utterly, __**bored **_he is right now.

Ichigo briefly considered jumping straight down the stand, past the giant cliff, and into the city below, with all its hard, rough, unforgiving roofs.

Then he decided he valued his life more.

* * *

One month since he'd started training his bankai.

One month since he put the lock on that door.

Two hours before Kuronawa would _finally _let him out of the damn hole!

Sai's stomach growled. _Five freaking days since I've had anything to eat…_

Immediately after he'd achieved Bankai, Sai had put a kido lock on the door, to keep any uninvited intruders out. He'd heard the door rattle a couple of times, but whoever was outside usually gave up before Sai had to do anything.

Sai had also used a couple of extra Kido, one to muffle any noises before they escaped the wood of the door, one to black out any vision one might have of the room if they peered into a crack in the wall, and one to keep weak annoyances from entering while he trained.

It was only _after_ he'd done all that that he realized that he forgot to stock up on food.

Of course, having an annoying Zanpakuto spirit that'll taunt you at every chance he gets doesn't help much either.

"And now folks, we have only one hour and forty-seven minutes until Sai can escape this hell!" Declared Kuronawa in a phony sports-announcer voice.

Sai's eyebrow twitched, followed by a "SHUT UP, DAMMIT!" and a half-hearted swing at the spirit.

For all that he had to put up with in order to use it, Sai considered his Bankai to be…how should I put this…

Part of him was yelling that he needed it in order to change the world, his ultimate goal.

The other part was yelling at him for being such an idiot and actually putting up with the spirit in front of him.

And another part of him was telling him to try and _eat_ said spirit.

Oh the joys of insanity!

Sai's Bankai was, more or less, a simple extension of his normal Zanpakuto's powers, along with a couple of bonuses that, as he put it, might or might not be worth the mental strain of putting up with the spirit he had to _'fuse' _with in order to use it.

The first thing he was annoyed with was the default form for the Bankai. When he had designed the default, it had easier to handle, more useful in a number of situations, and it was _artistically pleasing_.

The new default was nothing of the sort.

Instead of the machete-styled sword that Sai preferred, the default for Kenhane no Kuronawa was a scythe. The one Kuronawa had pulled out in their fight, to be exact. It was about as tall as Sai was, had a vaguely wing-shaped blade, and an apparently useless guard over the top of the blade that adapted the bird's wing shaped blade into a bat's wing shaped formation.

Definitely not something the fanatically artistic Sai liked at first sight.

Then Kuronawa bashed him over the head and told Sai to, "Get over it." In those exact words.

Which brought Sai's thoughts to the spirit that was having too much fun right in front of him.

At first, at the name 'Kuronawa' -which translates into 'Darkside'- Sai had thought that his spirit would be brooding, mysterious, a kind of nihilistic cool.

Turns out that Kuronawa is the kind of insane most people think _Sai_ is.

Hyperactive, ADD, childish, total scatterbrain, two-faced…the list goes on and on.

It was two weeks ago that Kuronawa had convinced Sai that he was, indeed, the spirit of the Zanpakuto, and that Sai _was_, in fact, the Reaper who wielded it. Sai then started to wonder: When the hell did they switch places?

The 'Full release' of his sword also changed his usual 'black'n'white' jacket into a trenchcoat, the tails split down the middle, sporting the same monochrome design as the top; white base with black shapes that were supposed to accent the features of both the jacket _and_ the wearer. The hood almost always leapt up to shade his face. His jeans were replaced, much to his annoyance, by leather pants sporting a black flame design on a white background. Personally, Sai liked ice better.

Of course, the new weapon had a few advantages that Sai _had_ to acknowledge.

For one: instead of merely _channeling_ the Kido Sai used, Kenhane _amplified_ it, increasing it to about three times its usual strength.

When Sai tested that out he nearly blew a fifteen-foot rock formation to bits with a lowly Byakurai.

Its shape-shifting powers were also given a boost, allowing Sai to assume others' identities with near perfect accuracy. Even copying the abilities of their Zanpakuto, to an extent.

Of course, that meant he was wide open to the things _they_ were weak against, and he was in an even worse position, since he wasn't used to the abilities of _their_ weapons.

Lastly, the Bankai allowed for the _complete_ disappearance of the user. He couldn't be seen, his spiritual pressure completely masked, his footfalls nonexistent. That would've been incredibly useful, if his weapon wasn't consumed by doing that, and Sai was pretty sure he wasn't able to best a captain in hand-to-hand combat, even _with_ the advantage of undetectability.

It wasn't as good a bankai as Sai had hoped, but at least he could get somewhere with it.

And now, to the annoying Zanpakuto spirit who is doing an elaborate little dance right now.

Somehow, Kuronawa had managed to drag Sai into his 'inner world' after he had put the locks on the door, or was it that he had made it look like the cavern was the inner realm? Either way, Sai didn't really like what he saw.

The place was like a demented art museum. Pictures of memories, gruesome images, grotesque fantasies, even a few with too much _pink_ hung from the stark white walls that seemed to go on forever in black frames. Sai recognized a few from dreams, nightmares, and the occasional murderous thought he had.

One of them included twisted figures of human beings burning, decapitating, gutting…

I'll leave it at: It was the perfect depiction of the flaws(oxymoron?) of the human spirit that Sai saw. All grouped into one ugly little picture.

The 'pit' that Sai almost fell into on his first visit was actually a huge chasm, opening up to reveal rather deep and wounding images of Sai's past, things he'd much rather forget.

Kuronawa called it an 'emotional scar.'

Sai almost threw him down the pit for that.

In any case, Sai decided, as long as he had the power to accomplish his goal…

"And the door opens in, FIVE!"

Sai snapped back to reality.

"FOUR!"

He was mildly annoyed at Kuronawa's antics.

"THREE!"

Then changed his mind as he was _finally_ about to get out.

"TWO!"

A smile of real happiness flashed onto Sai's face for an instant.

"JUST KIDDING!"

Followed by a look of pure rage.

* * *

Okay, if ya want to have a look at what Sai's Bankai's supposed to look like, I've got a picture as the avatar on my profile.


	17. 12th Massacre

Hee hee...this one is _good_, trust me.

TIME FOR SOME BLOOD!!!

* * *

It was in the dead of night:

First, the Kido lock on the door dissipated in a shower of black, white, and blue sparks. Then the door opened, seemingly on its own.

No one could've seen the figure even if he left the cavern in broad daylight. If they had looked, all they would've seen was Sokyoku hill, standing as it always has been.

Cinereus was back. Badder than ever. Ready to spill blood.

* * *

Sai stood on top of the Sokyoku execution stand, the tails of his coat flapping in the wind, and gazed upon the city below. "All right…" He put the hollow's mask to his face, then opened up the Garganta. "Let's begin."

The city was in complete chaos as, once again, hollows rained upon its once quiet streets. Taking cover in the havoc, Sai hurried to the Twelfth division.

* * *

"NEMU! HURRY!"

"Yes, master." The roof caved in before Nemu could reach Mayuri, killing her.

"And _where_ do we think we're going, Captain Kurotsuchi?"

Mayuri only needed to look at the cold, silver mask staring at him from behind the hood to know who it was.

"You're Cinereus, aren't you?" The mask remained impassive, betraying no emotion whatsoever, even through the black grin. The cloaked figure only drew his scythe.

"The only ones who have the right to take the lives of others…" Cinereus declared in a cold, but somehow powerful voice, "Are those who are themselves prepared to die." He pointed the scythe at the captain below him. "You didn't deserve the rank of captain, you merely inherited it from your predecessor. You didn't lend a hand when the whole of Soul Society was in danger; you merely held back and waited. When the opportunity came to exterminate your enemies, you killed half a dozen of your own men, and let the Ryoka escape. You caused the near extinction of an entire race for the sake of experimentation."

Mayuri stood, paralyzed, as the scythe's tip was placed under his chin. "Cowards like you don't deserve the gift of life. You can accept the punishment of death instead." The cruel blade sliced up his chin, his head cut neatly in two.

Or so it seemed.

Sai quickly made a cut to his left. The 'true' captain leapt back in surprise. Meanwhile, the gigai on the ground vanished into the air. "What an interesting specimen," Mayuri sneered. "Perhaps I should keep you in an airtight jar before I experiment on you…"

"Coward. Simply accept the fact that you deserve to die."

Sai then vanished, completely shocking Mayuri. He pulled out his special little device, the one he used to track that Bount's spiritual pressure while he moved in that alternate dimension.

Nothing.

"Huh!? Damn this piece of SHIT!" Mayuri threw the device at the wall in frustration, breaking it into hundreds of tiny, tiny pieces.

Sai watched bemusedly from his spot in the tangled wires and pipes strewn about the ceiling. The captain didn't like it when his flawless creations didn't work, it seems. _I suppose he takes it as an insult to himself when anything he makes doesn't work as intended. Hah. Fool…_

Sai pulled a couple of wires, then tied the ends to a broken pipe about the size of a log nearby. He then allowed his invisibility to fade.

Mayuri, of course, felt the sudden appearance of Sai's spiritual pressure, and turned to face him. "AH! There you are!"

Sai then cut through the part of the pipe connecting it to the wall. It swung forward, hanging onto the ceiling by the wires tied to it. It was headed straight for Kurotsuchi's face.

"Ah, shit."

The pipe hit him head on. Mind you, it was filled with lead before the ceiling collapsed. The impact sent Mayuri crashing through the wall, out onto the street, then through the next wall…

Into Ishida's quarters.

Uryu looked over at the Captain lying on the ground, then turned back to his work. "Normally, I'd go out of my way to lend a hand but, remembering that you can just get out of any predicament you want by stabbing yourself…I think I'll pass."

"DAMN YOU QUINCY!! I DON'T HAVE MY F---ING ZANPAKUTO!!!"

"All the better. People will laugh at your funeral."

Mayuri hurried outside to where his Zanpakuto lay on the ground. Sai materialized right next to it and picked it up, "Looking for this?" He sneered. "With all the modifications you made to it… seems like you forgot to make your sword strong. Look at how brittle it is." He snapped it in two with his bare hands, then raised his scythe. "Now die."

An arrow whizzed by Sai's head. "That was only a warning shot." Uryu drew his bow. "Next time, I won't aim to miss."

"Quincy," Sai glanced over to Uryu behind his mask, "Don't you have a grudge against this particular captain? He's the one who reduced the proud Quincy race to near nothing. He almost killed the one you love so he could experiment on her corpse. Do you really want to protect this swine?"

Uryu lowered his bow. "How do you know so much?"

"You're famous. Stories about your exploits are well known, even in Rukongai." Sai turned Mayuri's head with his scythe. Made the captain face the Quincy. "Now, would you like the honor of avenging your race yourself? Kill this man and make him atone for his sins."

"I cannot do that. If I did, I'd be an enemy of Soul Society. As much as I'd like to shoot an arrow through this bastard's skull-"

"Then do so." Sai countered. "Central 46 only let him live because Quincies were a threat to their safety. Now that they're all dead, there's no order or law that can punish you for killing him. A _lot_ of people would be thankful you got rid of this coward."

Mayuri tried to escape, but a spear found itself lodged in his arm, pinning him to the ground. Rivers of red flowed from his cut veins.

"DAMMIT!!! FOOL! YOU CANNOT KILL ME! IF YOU DID-"

"It would be for the greater good." Sai coolly replied. "Everybody would be able to sleep safe knowing that Captain Kurotsuchi isn't spying on them in the dead of night. Now Ishida Uryu," Sai turned to face the archer. "Would you kindly erase this bastard's existence or do I have to do it myself?"

Uryu raised his bow again. "Don't worry, Cinereus." He drew an arrow. "I'll gladly take you up on your offer." And shot Mayuri through the heart.

The arrow exploded, blowing the coward to pieces.

When the dust settled Uryu and Sai were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

-Gasp- Ishida turned traitor!


	18. Eradica

Chapter 18, now with less blood, more emo!

* * *

Sai pulled off his mask. "Okay. Now for the Fourth division to fall…"

Uryu groaned from his spot. The fourth division was filled with Orihime's friends, he couldn't just kill them all! "Are you sure there isn't another way? Do we seriously _have_ to kill them?"

"Not kill," Sai corrected, "Incapacitate. If the system can't use its healers, the supports in its structure, then all the other divisions will collapse faster.

"In a fight, who'd you take out? The healer, or the warrior? If you don't take out the healer first then it can keep supporting its allies while they cut your forces to shreds."

Uryu couldn't argue with that logic, so he got back to work.

They were setting up explosive charges around the perimeter of the division walls. Uryu had them primed so that they would all go off at once. If Sai's logic was correct, then blasting away the walls would also collapse the roof, effectively crippling the 'support' arm of the Gotei 13.

* * *

"Sai! What're you doing!? You've spread the forces too thin!"

"Divide and conquer, right? Just wait an' see."

An enemy tank appeared on the screen, heading directly for one of Sai's outposts.

"The AI in this game isn't all that great; always resorts to sending out small squads when it's trapped like this, _but…_" Sai gathered a small group of his own tanks and confronted the squad, then deployed a larger force from behind the attacking squadron to destroy it. The 'decoys' cleaned up the stragglers. "It spends all its money on these weak weapons. It completely forgets to leave some to defend the city. Watch."

Sai sent his forces to attack the main city. It surrendered in less than a minute.

Amanda gasped. She certainly didn't expect a strategy of _Sai's _to work. Nothing the socially inept, crowned King of Emo planned ever seemed to work. And here he reduced a rival power to nothing simply by eliminating its supports (in this case, destroying its source of revenue, plunging the economy of the rival nation into chaos) and watching the structure collapse.

After she regained her composure, Amanda perked back up and asked, "So how did you know that that'd work, anyway?"

* * *

"It's quite simple, really…" Uryu glanced up at Sai.

_The guy's a lunatic. He's talking to himself…_

"If a structure has no supports to rely on, then it'll inevitably collapse; most systems are focused on guarding the structure itself with minimal defences for the supports, therefore, the things that hold the entire structure together are incredibly easy to take out."

Uryu was, again, taken aback by the amount of insight Sai had into the workings of what you could call the entire social/political/just about _**any**_ system. Not only had he figured out what strategy would work, he figured out **_why_** it worked. _He must've been thinking this stuff through for years…what've __**I**__ been doing in that time?_ Uryu frowned.

1)Arguing with Ryuuken

2)Brooding about his grandfather's death

3)Trying to prove that Quincies are better than Soul Reapers

4)Hiding his feelings for Orihime

_No, that one is justified; she loves Kurosaki…_

"If you wouldn't mind stepping out of Emo-land for a sec," Uryu snapped back to reality. "These charges are gonna blow in about ten minutes. We, believe it or not, have got to get out of here _before_ they explode."

"Right."

They dashed off through the night. Back to the Museum, where they'd plan their next attack on Seireitei.

* * *

Ichigo was attempting to make sense of the stuff Yamamoto was telling him.

"Gramps, _why_ is it so bad that Captain Creepy is gone? He scared the shit outta everyone."

"Don't you get it, Ichigo?"

"Byakuya!"

"Without our Research and Development Institute, our technological development is at a standstill. We're now stuck with tools and technologies that have long since been deemed obsolete."

"So you mean…wait, what?"

He sighed. "It means," Bya-kun glared at Ichigo for effect, "that we won't be able to create a shortcut to end this assault. We'll have to fight until the enemy is eliminated."

"So? What's the problem with fighting?"

Byakuya only sighed again before turning away.

Then they heard the destruction of the Fourth division in the distance.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

"Another attack? Already?" Byakuya stared at the rising smoke. "Cinereus sure works fast…"

* * *

Ichigo can be such a dolt sometimes... :P... oh well.


	19. Assault

Oi! Me again. Jeez...how long's it been? Three weeks? Four? Ah, whatever.

* * *

Sai was idly lazing around his room in the Museum. Uryu had left a couple of days ago to join back up with Ichigo and co. as a spy. The plan was that he'd report back on the progress his friends had made on finding the two of them out, give them false leads, etc.

The plan did _not_ include someone bursting in through the roof.

"What the hell!?"

The dust still hadn't settled, so Sai wasn't really sure what was going on. Just to be safe, he grabbed the mask.

"There you are, Cinereus. Now, we can finally settle this…"

Sai's eyes narrowed. _That voice…the murderous intent is clear…definitely not Kurosaki, or a majority of the captains then…_

"Do ya have any clue…how long it took to find this place!?" Sai heard bells ringing as the foe stepped forward.

_Bells…that means-! _"Kenpachi Zaraki!"

"Ya got that right!" The head of the Eleventh grinned. "Now you've gotta fight me!" He swung his sword, the sheer force clearing the dust.

Sai took a long look at the mess. "Ah jeez, and right after I cleaned up the place…"

Kenpachi charged, his sword raised to strike. "T'DAY'S THE DAY YOU DIE, CINEREUS!"

* * *

Ichigo, Uryu and Chad were discussing 'Cinereus' in the Kuchiki Manor. At this point Uryu was explaining away his involvement in the murder of Kurotsuchi over tea.

"Yeah, that zampakuto of his has got some messed up hypnotizing power."

"Oh, is that it, Ishida?"

"We'll just have to be extra careful from here on out, then…"

A large explosion was heard from the southern area of Seireitei.

Ichigo's eyes practically bugged out of his face. "WHAT THE HELL!?"

"Ichigo, you're overreacting." Ah, Chad. Always the voice of reason.

"Overreacting!? You heard that!! That explosion was HUGE!" Careful Ichigo. You're gonna upend the tea table. Again.

Uryu stood up. "I'll go check it out."

"Wha-? Ishida, what're you-"

Uryu was already gone.

* * *

"Damn it!" Sai cursed. This was _not_ a good day. He quickly went through his list of uber-powered Kido, raising Bankai-Kuronawa as he did so. "O angels of Heaven, bring forth your justice! Demons of Hell, release your anger! Both Holy and Heathen flames, converge and incinerate my accursed foe! Hado 70, Towering Inferno!!"

A fireball burst out of the sword, hitting Kenpachi square in the face. Then it erupted into a pillar of fire.

_Okay, that's supposed to keep him trapped for a bit…_ Sai cursed again. _Gotta think of something __**fast!**_

"From the flow of blood that brings life to all, to the unforgiving chill of the grave…" Kenpachi burst out of the kido prison. "All life begins and ends with thee, now reclaim that which is rightfully yours!" Sai barely parried a lightning fast blow. _AN OPENING! _"Bakudo 72! Earthen Prison!"

Blades of stone erupted from the ground and cliffs nearby, criss-crossing every which way to immobilize the captain.

"What the-!?"

"I was gonna take care of _you_ later." Sai raised the sword in his left. "I usually hate to, but I guess I'll return this piece of damaged merchandise…" Lightning danced across the blade. "Hado 11, Tsuzuri Raiden."

He stabbed Kenpachi right in the shoulder. The insane electric current knocked the berserker captain out in no time.

Uryu happened to arrive at that moment. "Cinereus!

Sai heaved the captain out of the prison. "Oi! You've gotta drag this guy back to Seireitei. On second thought, let me join you, just let me get into standard uniform…"

Uryu was practically dumbfounded. "Why're you..?"

"Simple. To better play the part of an ordinary Soul Reaper caught up in all of this." Sai grabbed the uniform and his under-used sheath. "They'll probably suspect me a bit for being at the scene, but I intend to cripple the second division _very_ soon; that way they won't be able to get an investigation going." He flashed an impish grin. "Besides. I wanna see how our good friend Ichigo is doing. Now hurry up; this guy weighs a ton."

* * *

ARGH! I've had four weeks off and this is the best I can do!?


	20. Infiltration

To make up for the failure that was Ch19, I have gone ahead of schedule and wrote this. Enjoy.

_

* * *

That attack was unexpected, unplanned, but it sure helped with the plan…_

Sai was thinking of ways he could adapt the situation to suit himself, to further the plan. Ishida noticed he was quieter than usual, but left him be.

_If he's thinking of something,_ he thought respectfully, _I'd better not interrupt. This is pretty serious after all, and I'm pretty sure he's got enough on his mind, even if __he wasn't doing what he is right now…_

"Hey."

Ishida glanced at Sai. "What is it?"

"You think I should just meet with Ichigo using my real name, or just come up with another pseudonym?"

_He's even thinking about that?_

"Oh, and where exactly _is_ Ichigo anyway? I doubt he'd be staying at the prisoners' tower."

They stopped for a bit. True, they _were_ going in the direction of Sokyouku hill…

"We, that is to say, Ichigo, Chad, and myself, were staying at the Fourth division. Now that that's been just about annihilated, we've been staying at the Eleventh division. That's past the hill over there." Ishida explained.

Sai sat down, letting the unconscious captain lay on the roof they were on. "Might as well take a break, then. Build up strength, work out a plan, prepare ourselves to carry it out…"

Kenpachi's hand twitched, groped the surface for his sword; Sai had confiscated it.

"Sorry Captain," Sai sneered, then bashed Kenpachi's head on the tile. "But we need you to stay out cold a bit longer." The Captain of the Eleventh went limp. Uryu winced.

After sitting around for a bit, Sai stood up. "Okay, here's the act. I'm a newbie Reaper, just got out of the Academy, so I'm not in a division yet; if we're lucky any captains or lieutenants present will adopt me into their division. That way I can work as an infiltrator as well as an outside force. We both happened to run into macho-man here right before he got his ass handed to him. We saw Cinereus get away, but couldn't get a good look at his face or any defining features. Got all that?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go. I'm tired of keeping an eye on Deadweight over there."

* * *

"Kenpachi!?"

"Outta the way, Ichigo." Ishida snapped. "We don't have any healers, so we've gotta do _our _best to make sure he's okay. You just stay out of the way unless you think you can help."

"Well…I-" Ichigo just stuttered as Uryu pushed past him and the other members of the Eleventh.

Sai stepped in, his 'innocent' face up and ready. "That was kinda scary…he always like that?" He turned to look at Ichigo. "Oh! It's you!"

"Huh?"

"A month ago; we crashed in midair. You forgot already?" To anyone else, Sai looked disappointed. Sai was actually concerned that this guy was Ichigo, the legendary Shinigami who beat impossible odds. Sure, it meant that the captains weren't all that tough, but that also meant that he'd have to face off with this guy later.

"Guess I did." Ichigo's brash demeanor kind of ticked Sai off. "Anyway, we've gotta make sure Kenny's alright. That kid of his is gonna bawl if he isn't."

"Kid?"

"Didn't ya know? Kenpachi's got a soft spot for cute, innocent children. One of 'em follows him around everywhere." Ichigo glanced at the ceiling. "Except…I haven't seen her lately. Maybe she's out dating Shiro-chan?"

Sai was trembling. Was it from the immense spiritual pressure Ichigo leaked constantly? Indignation? Held back laughter?

"Hey you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." _This guy is __**so**__ clueless…_ "I'm just a bit jealous. See?" He glanced in the direction of the other Soul Reapers. "Look at 'em. They're so concerned about their captain that they don't even preserve their dignity. Just look at how loyal they are." Sai let a disappointed smile grace his features. "Kind of reminds me of my friends, back at home. They would always try to cheer me up when I felt down, an' I did the same." _Wait…did I just say that?_

Ichigo _finally_ put 2 and 2 together. "Ah! That's right, you're new here, and you graduated early. You don't know anybody here and all your classmates probably hate you for being so excellent. Heck, I'll bet you get that kinda stigma from some of the other Reapers here. You've got no friends."

Sai laughed a bit. "You don't have to rub salt in the wound, y'know."

"Well! 's'long as I'm here, you've got a friend on your side!" Ichigo pat Sai on the shoulder, a welcoming grin on his face. Sai was surprised, if anything.

"Kenpachi! Are you alright!?" Sai glanced at the door to see who was standing there. Kira Izuru. They made eye contact. Kira's eyes clearly said "YOU!", in a more than surprised sense, and Sai's eyes said, "Say anything… and you DIE" in a very, _very_, threatening tone. Seriously. If you had looked you've thought that Kira was suffocating under the weight of Sai's gaze.

"Izuru, why're_ you_ here?" Ichigo's as clueless as ever. "I thought you had business with the Third division."

"Yeah, but after we lost Captains Aizen, Ichimaru, Tousen, and Kurotsuchi... it would be horrible to lose another."

Sai spoke up. "Don't worry, he's only unconscious." He glanced to Izuru, then the door, then back to Kira. "Leutenant Kira, right? May I have a word with you? Outside?"

Ah, poor Kira. He looks like he's about to crap himself outta fear. He somehow found the strength to follow Sai out of the door, however.

"Looks like _you_ remember me, Izuru." Sai's façade fell. "I'm going to ask of you something very simple. I want you to put me in your division."

"W-what?"

"Put me in your division, as an ordinary officer. I suppose it would help if I got a seat, but not to high, so as to avoid drawing unwanted attention. The Second division is already working on my case as it is, since I don't seem to fit in with ordinary Seireitei society."

"O-okay…" Izuru relaxed a bit. "So…what do I get in return?"

Sai raised the sword in his hand, Kenpachi's, and put on an evil smirk, the murderous and/or bloodthirsty type. "Your existence." The message was clear.

_No way…this guy took out Zaraki Kenpachi! There's no way I can beat him!_

"Now that that issue is out of the way." Sai put up his fake grin again. "Shall we go back in? We've got an idiot who's waiting for us."

* * *

And I apologize to any Ichigo fans I have offended by calling him an idiot.


	21. Defeat?

Heh...3 chapters in 3 days...I'm on a roll...^^

* * *

Sai was walking through the barracks in the Third division. Being a new officer and all, he had to figure his way around the place.

He'd sent Uryu to put up some fake evidence. The Second squad thought he was hiding out around the west end of Seireitei now. Later he'd go and meet up with them…

* * *

Soi Fon was working as overseer to the investigation, pretty much letting her subordinates take care of all the fine details. One of them ran up to her, ready to give the overall report.

"Captain! We've searched this entire section of the west wing. Are we certain that Cinereus is hiding here?"

Fon looked annoyed. "Of course he is. All the recent criminal activities, murders, burglaries, assassinations... they've all been around this area, and there's no criminal on the loose _besides _Cinereus. If you can't find him search again, you idiot. He's got to be around here somewhere."

"Yes ma'am!" The officer dashed off.

Soi Fon sighed. "What a bunch of idiots…can't do anything on their own…"

* * *

Sai heard the door to the training facility slam shut. He turned to face the intruder. "Ishida!"

Uryu tch-ed and glared at Sai. "Don't act surprised, _Aquilla Neophix._ I came to this ditch because you called me here. What's gone wrong this time?"

"Nothing really." Sai pretended to be nonchalant, carefree. "I just need a quick run-down on the conditioning of the Second division."

"That's all?" Surprise.

Sai put his hands behind his head. "Well, I'm new to the whole division thing. I know the basic things the divisions take care of; Fourth's for healers, Twelfth is for scientists, etcetera, but I don't know about the individual officers, really."

Ishida sat on a nearby rock. "So what you want me to do…is to give you a lesson on the officers in the Second division?"

"Yeah, that's just about right." Sai pulled an 'innocent' grin. "So what can ya tell me?"

Uryu sighed. "Well, their captain's brilliant. She'd developed a style of her own, combining Kido and martial arts. Her zampakuto can kill you in two hits, so watch out." Uryu gave Sai a warning glare. "As for their lieutenant, he's pathetic. You couldn't find a stupider person if you looked all the way in Rukongai; idiot bought himself his position, but can't even handle a low class hollow without freaking out. They all rely on their captain to make all the important decisions, so if you take _her_ out, then the Second division is pretty much crippled for good."

"Right. So, the captain is?"

"A short woman. Black hair."

"Thanks. That's all I needed to know…"

* * *

"Captain!" The poor guy was panting, must be really tired. "We've _–pant-_ searched the entire –_pant-_ area hundreds of times already! –_pant_- Are you absolutely certain-"

"Yes. Now keep searching, you idiot."

The officer staggered off, forgetting, in his fatigue, to even give the customary, 'Yes ma'am!'. Soi Fon would reprimand him later for that…

"Wow. Discipline sure is strict in the Second division." A cold, mocking voice said from nowhere and everywhere at once.

Soi Fon raised Suzumebachi and glanced around. _He's finally decided to show up, eh?_ "Show yourself you coward!!"

"Maybe I will. Maybe not. We won't know for sure, now will we?"

Soi Fon noticed the bushes nearby rustling. She tensed up, waited until the figure stepped out of the foliage, then charged, Suzumebachi ready to strike…

"CAPTAIN!! WAIT! IT'S ONLY ME!"

"Omaeda!" Soi Fon gasped. The bumbling Lieutenant could only shout in indignation.

"J-jeez Captian! You don't have to scare me like that! And what was that!? Charging at me with your zampakuto released! Do you _want_ me dead!?"

"Actually-"The bushes at the other side of the clearing were shaking now. Soi Fon motioned to Omaeda. "Don't move."

She crept toward the bushes, weapon raised. The rustling seemed to stop, but even so…

Soi Fon pushed the branches aside, only to reveal…

Omaeda. Tied up and gagged.

"What!?"

The Omaeda behind her was breaking out in sweat, glancing nervously between the doppleganger on the ground and the captain.

_Almost as if_…_ He's been found out!!_

Soi Fon dashed toward him, ready to strike. "You fake!" She stabbed him twice. Once on the shoulder, the other through the arm. He expired screaming for her to stop. She regarded the corpse. "Did you honestly believe that you could get a cheap shot on me that way, you imposter?"

"No…" The 'Omaeda' in the bushes stood up, the ropes around him disappearing. "But it did take care of that annoyance. I must say, though, it's a disgrace that I had to disguise myself as that imbecile. The very fact that I wore his face…" 'Omaeda's' face dissolved to reveal the cold, silver mask, his uniform fading into a coat of black and white. "Disgusts me."

Soi Fon glared at the impassive plate of metal. "The oaf was only useful as a distraction anyway…"

The image of Cinereus faded into nothingness. The captain stared at the spot it stood on for a second, then kicked to the spot behind her. A grunt could be heard from the echoing voice as Sai crashed through the thicket. Soi Fon glared at the spot where the destruction ended. "Don't think you can hit me with a tactic like that, either."

"Then I'll just switch techniques…" Sai began the incantation to a kido. "Three domains, land, sea, and sky. By the strength of all I command thee to-GAK!"

Soi Fon had punched him in the gut with enough force to send him flying. He crashed straight through a tree. "It's pretty obvious what you're doing and where you're gonna do it." She taunted. "I won't even have to use my zampakuto against you!"

"Kuh…" Sai coughed up some blood. _That's bad… If she notices my position's gonna be discovered…_ "I suppose…you're tougher than I thought… Tch… Playtime's over, time for me to get serious!"

"Oho. I hope you're a real challenge then, Cinereus!"

Both fighters smirked.

Sai raised his arm. True, he had no weapon, but that couldn't stop him from casting. "HAIEN!" A purple blast of energy shot out toward the clearing. Soi Fon jumped out of the way, but it still hit the ground she was standing on. The entire area burst into flames, smoke rising to blind the captain in midair.

"So that's it, eh?"

Sai appeared behind her. "Not quite."

"What!?"

Sai kicked her down, slamming her into a nearby rock. "Now." Sai muttered, preparing to cast, "Divide and conquer. Separate and immobilize the enemy!" He raised his scythe. "Bakudo 62, Hyapporankan!" He swung, a rod of energy erupting from the guard on Kenhane no Kuronawa. Halfway between him and Soi Fon, it split into several smaller rods, pinning her onto the surface of the rock.

Sai landed close to the captain. "I admire your dedication to your work, your efficiency, Soi Fon, but it's really getting in my way. And with that, I bid thee Adieu." He drove his weapon into her chest, but 'she' simply faded away. "What!?"

"Utsusemi." Soi Fon stood behind him. "Remember this. I am Soi Fon, Captain of the Second Division of the Thirteen Court guard, and I will not lose to an amateur like you!" She kicked him in the back and sent him flying; eventually he disappeared in a flash of light against the sky. She wanted to follow, but her men were tired and her lieutenant dead. She'd just have to hope that she kicked him into next week.

* * *

Sai was later seen limping to his room in the Third division barracks. His roommate, a happy-go-lucky teenage-looking girl named Koyuki happened to run into him. Obviously concerned about his condition, she asked him what had happened.

Sai pulled up a pained grin and said, "Fell down the stairs."

* * *

"Aquilla Neophix" is the pseudonym Sai adopted for use as an ordinary Shinigami. 'Aquilla' means Eagle, while 'Neophix' is an anagram of the word 'phoenix'.

Yes. I like birds ^^.


	22. On the Run

"NEOPHIX!!"

What the-!? Tamaki! What're you doing here!?

"Do you realize how boring it is in here!? Write, dammit! WRITE!"

* * *

"Ugh. My head." Sai shook the aforementioned body part. Today he just felt like _crap_.

Two, maybe three months since the whole 'Cinereus got his ass whupped' incident. Sai had put those plans aside for a while and concentrated on his Soul Reaper duties, deeming that doing anything out of the ordinary would have the entire Second division on his case. Now he was having a hard time remembering what he was doing in Seireitei to begin with.

Sai plopped himself back onto his 'bed'. "Ah whatever. Kira's not gonna talk," his eyelids sank. "He won't mind if I sleep in either…"

--

"Is that the one, Captain?"

"Yeah. The spiritual pressure's almost identical. Only slightly weaker, but that's because of his zampakuto. Go get 'im."

The 'ninja squad' leader hesitated for a second before following orders. "I still find it hard to believe that it'd a kid like him…"

--

Sai heard something break. He twitched his still-closed eyes before opening them and seeing what was going on. _Geez. And I was having this _wonderful_ dream…_ He saw a Second division officer standing over him. _Aw, shit._

He kept his apathetic expression up. "What's the matter, officer? Is it against Soul Reaper code to stay in bed past nine A.M.?" he joked.

The joke had no effect. "Get up kid. You're coming with me." The officer roughly commanded.

"Okay, okay. Whatever. Just let me get into something more dignified than these sleeping-robes." Sai jerked his head toward the clothing rack. "I mean, I can't argue my case if no one takes me seriously, right?" The officer said nothing; Sai took it as a 'yes'.

Sai grabbed his jacket and jeans, which he hid underneath the standard uniform, and then whipped out his sword. "Anari! Kuronawa!" The officer, thanks to his amazing ninja training, managed to get out of the way before he got hit, although he lost Sai in the ensuing cloud of dust.

"Captain! He's trying to escape!"

"I can see that." Soi Fon growled. Sai's escaping figured could be barely made out through the clouds of debris that erupted when he released. "I'm going to apprehend him. You just stay back unless the situation gets out of hand." She dashed over to the figure in the dust, stopping inches away from him and letting the residual wind blow the dust away. "Long time, no see, Cinereus."

Sai blinked. "Cinereus? I thought this was for when I T-P'ed the General Captain's sleeping quarters last week." He sheepishly grinned. "Besides, my name's Aquilla. Aquilla Neophix."

Soi Fon grabbed him by the collar. "We'll see if anyone believes that act later."

Sai's smirk fell. "Well then," it turned into a deep scowl. His formerly lighthearted tone disappeared completely. "I suppose I'll just have to drop this façade." He shunpo-ed out of her grasp, somehow grabbing his mask in the process. He raised it to his face as he glared at her. "I'll have you know that I've gotten better in the past couple of months, Captain Soi Fon." He ran his fingers over Kuronawa's edge. "Bankai." A whirlwind blew, clearing what dust was left and revealing the flowing coattails of his new outfit. "Kenhane no Kuronawa: Bladed Wing of the Darkside." His image rippled, like water, then disappeared.

"Chains of lightning summoned by Thanatos, imprison the enemy, divide and conquer!"

_A kido combo!?_

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, spears of lightning –a hundred or so- rained down from above. The combination of Byakurai and Hyapporankan just barely missed the captain as she got away in the nick of time. The electrified spears exploded on contact with the roof they were battling on, causing new clouds of dust and shattered tile to blow into the air.

--

Kurosaki happened to be outside at the time, and –in true hero fashion- hurried off to the source of the noise.

--

Tamaki, in his humble abode, felt unusually happy all of a sudden. _I've got this __wonderful__ feeling that things are gonna get exciting again._

Urahara, on the other hand, had this horrible sense of foreboding. "This…is bad."

--

Ishida looked up from the cape he was fixing. He maintained a grim expression as he gazed at the rising dust. "And so it begins again…"

* * *

I blame Tamaki! He wouldn't leave me alone! T_T

"Quit actin' like it's a bad thing, Neophix. You took just about the whole summer off." Tamaki sneers. "An' quit typing down everything I say! It's embarrassing!"

REVENGE! :D

"... bastard."


	23. Tamaki

"Dammit!" Ichigo swore. "Why did Cinereus have to restart his little reign of terror _now!?_"

--

Soi Fon tried to stab Sai in the shoulder. Like always, it was just an after-image, and as it faded away Sai struck from behind. She backhanded the incoming kick and flipped to the next roof over.

--

Tamaki sipped his tea, placed the cup on the table, then sighed contentedly. Yes. Today was a _good_ day. He didn't even need his sake for a day as wonderful as this. Although…no harm in making it _better._

He grabbed one of the bottles stashed underneath the tea-table and grinned like an idiot.

Suddenly a shrill ringing noise filled the air. Annoyed, Tamaki reached into his robe and retrieved the source of the noise. A Soul Pager. Outdated and obsolete, but a Soul Pager nonetheless. He didn't even bother to check caller I.D. as he flipped open the phone.

"Yo! Urahara, whazzup?"

"Drop the act, Tamaki. You know just as well as I do that this whole charade is meaningless."

"Which one? The 'Tamaki is a lazy drunkard' act, or the 'Tamaki never had anything to do with the Shinigami' act?" The look on Tamaki's face was comparable to Aizen's 'evil, yet still smiling' look.

Urahara grunted. "None of the above. Now tell me; what the hell do you intend to achieve by doing this!?"

Tamaki let an innocent tone drip into his voice. "Doing what now?"

Urahara sighed. "Fine… _Tamaki-sensei,_ could you please and thank you tell me what the hell you were thinking!?"

"Now that's the Urahara-kun I remember." Tamaki grinned on his side of the line. "It's really simple. I'm making dreams come true. 'T's what a good teacher should help his students do."

"Good teacher, my ass." Urahara spat. "You got fired from the academy –they even destroyed your zampakuto. Is that good teaching? Hell no. Now take Kurosaki-kun. He's strong. He's a protector. He's the one who's saved the world. Your pupil is going to bring all of that crashing down. You hear me? He's going to bring about the destruction of the worlds!"

"As we know them." Tamaki calmly intoned. "It's his dream to change the world. I helped him take his first steps. The rest that he does is on his own."

"It's been nice having this conversation with you, Urahara. I _must_ remind you to _never_ mention my Kazehime around me ever again, though. Ever since those _bastards_ killed her my life's been a wreck." He hit the End Call button. "Have a nice day, Kisuke. You might as well…" He roughly uncorked the bottle and chugged down a couple of gulps, then set the bottle onto the table as he let out a loud sigh. "…since you just ruined mine."

--

"Why must you make it so difficult, Cinereus!?" Soi Fon shouted as she delivered another kick. "What do you fight for that's so damn important to you!?"

Sai charged, scythe in hand. "For change!" He swung. Soi Fon jumped and landed on the blade. Sai turned the blade upwards and pulled the pole towards himself. Soi Fon just barely got away. "To bring a corrupted society crashing down upon itself!" He raised the cruel blade and swung again. "For my friends!"

"Hah!" Soi Fon sneered. "What friends!?"

Sai stopped in mid-swing, letting his voice drop, down to almost a whisper as he mentally reached for the old, silver and ebony amulet around his neck. "You'd be surprised."

And the Grey Angel swung again.

--

Ichigo was almost there. He could _literally_ feel the waves of spiritual pressure. Bad as he was at following it, this shone like a beacon. And like a beacon, he was guided towards it. He was going to end this. Just like he ended so much else.

An arrow whizzed by his head.

He turned, shocked, towards Uryu, standing on a pole in the distance, Ginrei Kojaku drawn.

"Sorry Kurosaki. But I can't allow you to interfere."

* * *

Well! Little bit of Tamaki's back-story there. Uryu reveals his true intentions to Ichigo and I came up with a cool epithet for Sai!

T'was a good write :D

I think :/


End file.
